BioCentury
ARTICLE | Politics & Policy

EPA issues plant pesticide rules

July 20, 2001 7:00 AM UTC

EPA Administrator Christine Whitman signed three final rules clarifying the EPA's process for regulating plant-incorporated protectants (PIPs). Under the rules, PIPs derived from biotechnology will be regulated by EPA under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). The latter will allow EPA to set maximum residue levels in food products.

PIPs developed by conventional plant breeding will be exempt, though manufacturers still are required to report any adverse events. Genetic material (DNA) used to produce the pesticide is exempt from maximum residue levels. The EPA also may make individual exemptions for PIPs on a case-by-case basis. The EPA noted that all currently registered genetically modified plants expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) already have been assessed on a case-by-case basis and will not be affected by the new rules, and said that the rules "do not change significantly the EPA's current system for scientifically evaluating a plant-incorporated protectant." ...